READ ARTICLE (DANISH) ‘Towards A More Inclusive Architecture History’ in Landskab (PDF)
Our communications and media manager Mathilde Merolli decided to pick the brains of project leaders Svava Riesto and Henriette Steiner for an interview in the Danish magazine Landskab (‘Landscape’).
“Why do we need to rewrite Danish (landscape) architecture history?”
In short, because we need a better understanding of how the 20th century architecture in Denmark was created. Only then can we build more sustainable and inclusive cities in the future.
We believe that it is important to know, understand, and face what is already here in order to shape the welfare landscapes of the future. – translated quote from article
Most of us Danes are in contact with Danish architecture or design from the 20th century every day. We live in buildings, move through urban landscapes, and use furniture built between 1925 and 1975 – a period during which the first generations of women entered the design professions in Denmark.
Taking in the sheer amount of architecture which to this day still is aesthetic and functional, even iconic, inevitably leads to the question: How could just a handful of (male) architects be responsible for all of this?
Looking to current textbooks and official archives to answer this question will not suffice. We need to dig deeper to uncover the history of the overlooked contributors to Danish architecture.
Women’s contributions to the architecture of the welfare state were either less prestigious or created through collaborations. This is why their contributions often did not end up in the official archives. The same is true for many male architects’ contributions. But for now, we’ll start with the women. – translated quote from article
Our research has shown that many women contributed to Danish architecture and design of the 20th century. During 1925–1975, women helped to shape the everyday environment in Denmark by designing among other things, kitchens, public buildings, housing, landscapes, and urban areas. Yet the greater part of their contribution is missing from our history books.
Understanding the women’s stories and their relations becomes a gateway to understanding some of the driving forces behind the multidisciplinary working communities of the welfare architecture in Denmark. – translated quote from article
Over the coming years, our research project will map women’s role, work, and significance across various forms of practice, such as landscape architecture, urban planning, interior design, and design education and critique. The knowledge our research will generate adds historical depth to discussions on how to reconfigure our Danish welfare society in the future – and allow us to move towards a more inclusive architecture history.
It’s time to stop focusing on who created the 20th century architecture in Denmark and instead looking at how we created it.
__________
For over 100 years, the Danish journal Landskab has disseminated news of Nordic landscape architecture to its readers. The magazine has a long history of women chief editors, all of whom have played or play an important role in Danish architecture history. We will introduce a few of these women later in our project. Visit Landskab’s website here.
Thanks to editor in chief Christina Capetillo for sharing our research in the magazine.
Recent Comments